In a 3-page essay, describe and reflect on a sound that you heard or produced in connection to our class since the semester begun. You may write about the class material covered till Week 4 of the syllabus. You can write about recorded sound (e.g. Pierre Schaeffer's composition Études de bruits), sounds produced in class (e.g. our group performance of 4'33") or sound from your own perception and memory related to class (e.g. a listening exercise you did from Week 2's reading). Given the 3-page length for this assignment, be realistic in terms of the scope of your media object (i.e. do not choose something overly long or complicated - the 2009 intonarumori performance at the Performa Festival is about 30 min., and that should be the longest piece you can write about) If I showed or played an excerpt of a work in class, you must listen to its entirety before you can adequately describe it. Likewise for a sound referenced in class - you must listen to and experience it yourself in order to write about it.

Your essay should contain the following components:

Introduction - what is the sound - is there a title, author / composer, or name of a recording (if there is an online source for the sound outside of the class syllabus or MS52 blog, include the URL as a footnote)? When was it produced? Identify all titles by year of production, i.e. song title - media titles should either be italicized or underlined in academic papers (Year) by Artist Name. If it is not a specific sound or audio-visual work, describe the date, time, and circumstances under which the sound is heard by you. What is the duration of the sound(s)? A lot of the information can be found on the syllabus and the class blog, YouTube, Sakai, or other media platforms we use in class. Additionally, is there noteworthy information about how this sound was produced? For example, if you write about Strange Fruit, you can mention the song's history, its different vocal and musical interpretations, its reception (at the time of production and/or within our class), or its influence on society and culture at large.

Description of the sound - essentially, what does your media object sound like? What is the volume, tone, pitch, timbre, and other sonic qualities of the sound you chose to write about? Is there one kind of sound, or many different kinds (e.g. words, musical notes, noise)? And how do the different sounds combine (or not) to form a whole? Are there different methods or listening practices from class that influenced how you listen to this sound (e.g. Chion's three modes of listening)? Are there images or other elements that accompany the sound you are describing? If so, how do these elements influence your perception of the sound? Are you only using your hearing to perceive this media object, or are other senses also involved? If the latter, also describe them, and describe how the different senses interact in your perception and experience of the media object.

Reflection on your listening experience (and discuss in relationship to at least one idea or theory you learned in class) - after describing the form and content of the sound, discuss how the particular combination in this sound makes you, the audience, react. Does it evoke a certain emotion in you? Is the sound difficult to listen to? If so, discuss why? Does your reaction and response connect to one specific idea or theory you learned from the class reading, discussion, or other class material in the first four weeks? You can discuss more than one idea from class, but be mindful of the length and scope of your paper. This discussion should move from a specific (your personal response) to a larger context (ideas and theories from class, your speculation of how the sound addresses those who are listening, and situates itself within a social context).

Write your name, title of our class, and date in the top left-hand corner of your essay. All essays have to be typed and double-spaced. Please use fonts that are 12 to 10 points in size. The document should have 1 inch margins on the sides, and 1-0.5 inch margins on the top and bottom. If you choose to cite the class reading, use an in-text citation (author last name, page number, e.g. Russolo, 11). Outside sources and references are not required for this assignment. If you include any sources from outside of class, use a standard citation format, such as the Chicago or MLA style, in documenting them (see A Writer’s Reference or OWL, or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get feedback)

Please hand in the assignment in your Sakai Drop Box. All assignments should be in MS Word format (with a ".doc" or ".docx" suffix) Assignments are due by 5PM the day of the deadline.

Your grade will be based on your ability to describe the sound clearly and correctly. You may have to listen to it more than once to understand all its components. In addition to your description of the form, your articulation of the listening experience and your synthesis of these observations will also be crucial to the success of this assignment. Be specific - use actual excerpts, scenes, or movements from the media object as examples to support your observations. Write simply and clearly, avoid using words which meaning you are not sure of - look up a word in a dictionary or Thesaurus before you use it. Use spell-check and proof read the paper more than once before handing it in but do not use other people, services, and software (e.g. Grammarly) to do the writing for you - develop your own voice!

For your first or second essay assignment, I highly recommend you making at least one appointment to go over your draft of this paper at the Writing Center, and get feedback with enough time for revision (i.e. do not schedule your appointment right before the due date!)

Please turn the paper in on time, and follow the format I outlined: papers that are too long or too short, late papers, hand-written papers, etc. will lower your grade.

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